Penguin (DC)
The Penguin is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
One day, his father was said to had got caught in a thunderstorm without an umbrella and died two weeks later from bronchial pneumonia. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
After high school, he went to college where he majored in ornithology where he came to be more knowledgeable about birds than some of his professors. Later on though, his mothers health had grown worse and as she was about to die she wanted her son to take over the shop to care for the birds. Her death was the saddest blow in his life where he looked to continue her wish in managing the shop. However, he came to learn that the shop was thousands of dollars in debt with the creditors get a court order to cease its assets including the birds. This led to him becoming angry at the world and he resolved to turn his talents to crime. However, figures in the criminal underworld simply made fun of his appearance where they came to call him a 'penguin'. This led to Cobblepot decided to take the name Penguin as he would become a crime lord and resolved to ensure that he would be a feared figure in the city. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
He attended an art exhibition where he was secretly responsible for stealing some priceless paintings. With this fortune, he placed himself as an advisor to a local racketeering mob and brought about a crime wave to the city. Afterwards, he was responsible for stealing the Great Columbia Diamond in secret whilst using a blackout as a distraction. At this point, the mob boss felt threatened by the Penguin's growing success and refused to pay his share where he sought to deal with him. This saw the Penguin murder the man and taking over his gang where he was directly in charge of their operations. (Detective Comics v1 #58)
The Penguin once more pretended to become a legitimate business by using clever mechanical frauds of mythical birds and passing them off as the real deal and charging people admission. He then attempted to make the people fear Batman by associating him with a terrifying Man-Bat creature of his own design. This, like all of his other schemes, failed and the Penguin was once more captured. (Batman v1 #76)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
Amanda Waller came to recruit him into the Suicide Squad for one mission in exchange for prison release. Penguin helped them plan a top secret mission where they rescued imprisoned author Zoya Trigorin from the Soviet Union. He was forced to accompany them behind enemy lines though because Rick Flag wanted him to have a stake in his own plans. (Suicide Squad v1 #5)
After arranging his own escape from prison, he came to locate Harold Allnut who was a mechanical and engineering genius. The Penguin came to manipulate the man into creating a device that could control birds. Allnut's machine allowed Penguin to control large flocks of birds with microwaves forcing the animals to create chaos and destruction in Gotham. (Batman v1 #448)
He would seemingly abandoned a life of crime to establish himself as a legitimate businessman in charge of his nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge. However, this was simply a facade in order to control criminal activities from a more privileged position in society. (Detective Comics v1 #683)
Slam Bradley came to approach the Penguin when he was looking for information on Hush's whereabouts. (Detective Comics v1 #850)
Facing the threat of Intergang, the Penguin found himself to be alone with most of his gang having abandoned. Thus, he decided to cut his losses and depart the city but not before leaving the Iceberg Lounge in the hands of the Riddler. However, before he could depart, the Lounge was attacked by Johnny Sitches and Intergang where they were only saved by the arrival of Batman alongside the Outsiders. They fought off Intergang thus saving the Penguin who decided to remain in the city though part of this arrangement included him revealing any information from his underworld contacts to the Dark Knight. (Gotham Underground v1 #9)
After the death of Batman, Penguin became one of the main crime lords in Gotham. Around this time, Penguin was informed that someone had damaged Two-Face's crime ring and he was taking the blame for the hit. (Battle for the Cowl: The Underground v1 #2) When Penguin learned that the responsible was a new Black Mask, he hired Riddler's service as a detective to find the criminal. However, Black Mask struck first by sending Firefly to kill Penguin, but the pyromaniac was stopped by Catwoman. Penguin's forces were weakened but the crime lord emerged unscathed. (Battle for the Cowl: The Underground v1 #1)
Sometime later, word about Vicki Vale's discovery of Batman's secret identity was spread in the underground of Gotham and Penguin started looking for the reporter to capture her. When a couple of amateur criminals wanted to join Penguin's crew, he sent them to kidnap Vale and bring her back to him, but they failed miserably. (Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Commissioner Gordon v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
He had three older brothers that were Robert Cobblepot, William Cobblepot and Jason Cobblepot all of whom died by the time Oswald had become an adult. Growing up, Oswald was heavily bullied by his older brothers and his peers, who mocked him for his appearance and were the first to compare him to a penguin. Because of their teasing, Oswald developed a fascination with birds, which he felt more kinship with than people. (Penguin: Pain and Prejudice v1 #1) The only human he cared about was his mother - who was the only person to ever show him compassion. Oswald would craft mechanical birds for his mother as presents, which she always appreciated. Oswald would have an unhealthy obsession with his mother - going so far as to develop a complex of wanting to be strong and powerful through violence due to the way his father did so to get her attention. One night during his childhood, Oswald's older brothers attacked him and his pet birds, finally going too far for the boy to handle. Oswald secretly murdered all of them one by one to look like accidents - Jason died of poisoning, William in a hit-and-run, and Robert in a freak accident which left him at the bottom of a frozen lake. Oswald would also kill his own father to finally gain all his mother's attention. (Penguin: Pain and Prejudice v1 #2) During his high school years, Cobblepot considered fellow student Veronica Vreeland the love of his life, even though he had never even asked her on a date. He killed one of his few friends because he thought the friend was romancing Vreeland behind his back. (DC's Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special v1 #1) While in boarding school, Cobblepot would continue to be bullied by his peers, only developing a friendship with one student who continually defended him named Carter Winston. Over the years, Cobblepot would systematically murder all his former bullies, keeping a yearbook with newspaper clipping about their suspicious deaths for his own pleasure. (Batman v2 #23.3)
The other crime lords were defeated by Batman but Penguin said that he was innocent and only came to Arkham because the Joker threatened him. With him being popular in the community, the Dark Knight allowed him to depart but on his way to his mansion he found armed guards that barred his entry. They refused him entry and said that they took orders from the Penguin but to them it was not Cobblepot. Similarly, he found that he could no longer access his various accounts or estates with him contacting Ogilvy about the matter. It was then that he discovered that Ogilvy had taken over his criminal empire and declared himself the Emperor Penguin. (Detective Comics v2 #18)
After the disappearance of Batman, Gotham came to be visited by a mysterious arms dealer called Mister Bloom who offered criminals technologically powered 'seeds' that gave their hosts superpowers. This attracted the attention of Penguin who arranged a meeting with the masked villain though Mister Bloom refused to part with his 'seeds' to Cobblepot as he was not part of his plan for the city. This led to Oswald deciding to eliminate the competition and he had his henchmen shoot Mister Bloom seemingly killing him. However, the supervillain easily recovered due to his own powers where he killed Cobblepot's henchmen and severely injured the Penguin who was left bleeding on the floor. (Batman v2 #43)
At some point, he had a sexual relationship with one of the waitresses of his Iceberg Lounge named Crystie with her being pregnant with his son who was named Ethan Cobblepot. Penguin fired her leading to her and her son moving to Virginia though Cobblepot made support payments towards the boy and even funded his tuition to Yale at which point he dispatched his duties to his son. Ethan Cobblepot later returned to Gotham to return the cheque but his father did not accept it and instead told his son to use it but that he had no intention of claiming the boy as his family. (Batgirl v5 #8)
The Joker later embarked on an ambitious plan that threatened to lead to chaos and wide-spread destruction across Gotham. Sensing this coming Joker War, the Penguin decided to hide out in his Cool Room safehouse which was offered as a hiding place for other supervillains looking to escape the coming carnage. He had his agents take the badly wounded Catwoman from her hospital bed so that she was in the safety of the safehouse and prevent her from being killed by the Joker's minions. (Batman v3 #94)
Selina then took the Penguin and Riddler to the Underbroker's law firm in order to rob it as well as steal the Wayne fortune away from the Joker. (Batman v3 #99) Cobblepot had some of his men deployed in order to eliminate some of the clowns that the Joker had unleashed on the city. (Catwoman v5 #25) After Catwoman had betrayed him, the Penguin decided to hire a professional to hunt down Selina Kyle leading to him contracting the services of Brother Valley. The priest themed hired gun was paid half with the remaining to be paid on completion of his mission where he was told to use any means at his disposal to take down the Catwoman. This included targeting her family, friends and even her love so long as she was killed. (Catwoman v5 #26)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Her mother would came to refer to him by the nickname of Ozzie. (The Best of DC v1 #10) He said that he had many handles and names but went by the Penguin on account of his appearance. (Detective Comics v1 #58)
When he was young, children in the neighbourhood mercilessly bullied him on account of his name and appearance. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
He had said that he came to embrace his hatred and the mockery he experienced in his life. Oswald would take it from them and own it in himself. (Penguin: Pain and Prejudice v1 #1)
Cobblepot was noted for his love of birds who he found to be beautiful creatures. He found them to be different from humans who were cruel and unkind whilst birds were his friends. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
It was said that his fixation on umbrellas stemmed from his mother always telling him to keep one of them by his side. (The Best of DC v1 #10) She often urged the young Oswald to take an umbrella even if it was bright and sunny. She pointed that his father had died because of pneumonia and stated that this was because he lacked an umbrella. (Batman v1 548)
He was shown as being a fan of chess where he said that it excited and enthralled him. The Penguin saw it as being akin to war that required total focused concentration as well as utilising masterful precise strategy against an opponent. Cobblepot felt that no one was his equal in chess but was infuriated at being cornered in the game by a challenger. (Batman v1 #448)
Batman would note that Penguin was anything but a buffoon and that he was not a foe to be underestimated. (Batman v1 #448)
His major fault though was his massive ego as Cobblepot tended to think he was physically adept as he was intelligent. It was said that he would be a far more difficult opponent if he allowed able-bodied henchmen to do his crimes for him. (Batman v1 #448)
He loved his mother and her death was said to had been the saddest blow in his life. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
Oswald was once involved in a sexual relationship with one of the waitresses at the Iceberg Lounge named Crystie. She became pregnant with his son who was named Ethan Cobblepot who was raised by his mother with the Penguin providing some money to them. (Batgirl v5 #8)
From another relationship, he came to have a daughter named Addison Cobblepot and a son named Aiden Cobblepot who both looked to claim control over their father's criminal empire. (Batman v3 #126)
His family the Cobblepots were deeply tied to Gotham City. One of his ancestors was Sir Nigel Cobblepot was part of the invading British redcoats during the War for Independence. His great-grandfather was noted to had enjoyed a long successful tenure as mayor of the city. (Gotham Underground v1 #9) It was shown that his mother cared for a variety of birds with her son helping her as she became unwell and was confined to a wheelchair. He was said to had loved his mother and that her death was the saddest blow in his life. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
Powers and abilities
It was said that his thinking was brilliant with him being circuitous and multi-levelled in his planning. This was to the point that he planned his crimes with military precision. However, his appearance tended to make his opponents underestimate him with this being a trap in their dealings with him. (Batman v1 #448)
Copplebot dedicated part of his life to the martial arts in order to beat those who mocked his appearance leading to him becoming a master in judo and boxing. (Secret Origins Special v2 #1)
He was known to make use of an umbrella that had a number of gimmicks in them such as a gun hidden in them or emit strangling gas. (Detective Comics v1 #58) As the Penguin, he came to wield the world's first .45 caliber umbrella. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
Among his hench-people included:
- Lark : a woman who was a chauffeur and enforcer for the Penguin. (Batman v1 #448)
- Bossworth : (Batman: Battle for the Cowl v1 #2)
- Ignatius Ogilvy : a blonde haired man who served as a right-hand man for over 5 years before he turned against his employer in order to take over his criminal empire and declare himself Emperor Penguin. (Detective Comics v2 #16)
He maintained a secret safehouse known as the Cool Room that was used by him and other supervillains that were his allies. It was designed as a safe place to hide out any problems affecting the rest of Gotham. (Batman v3 #94)
Cobblepot was shown to have a private aviary where he kept a collection of exotic birds. (The Best of DC v1 #10)
Notes
- The Penguin was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane where he made his first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #58 (December, 1941).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Batman, the Penguin appeared in the 1960s live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Burgess Meredith.
- In The New Adventures of Batman, the Penguin appeared in the setting of the 1977 Filmation animated television series where he was voiced by actor Lennie Weinrib.
- In The Batman, the Penguin appeared as an antagonist in the animated television series starting in the episode "Call of the Cobblepot" where he was voiced by actor Tom Kenny. Oswald "Ozzy" Cobblepot was descended from the aristocratic Cobblepot family whose line went back to Newcastle, England. Alfred Pennyworth's grandfather was said to had been a butler to the English Cobblepots and was raised on stories on how they were cruel and disrespectful to those in their employ. Eventually, the Cobblepots settled in Gotham City with Oswald's direct family having squandered heir fortunes for years leaving their son the sole remaining heir of their ancestral legacy. Oswald left the family estate fall into ruin and converted it into an aviary whilst he departed to travel to the Orient where he learnt martial arts and gained the employ of the Kabuki Twins who served as his bodyguards.
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Penguin appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Stephen Root.
- In Gotham, Oswald Cobblepot appeared in the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Robin Lord Taylor.
- In Justice League Action, the Penguin appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Double Cross" where he was voiced by actor Dana Snyder.
- In Harley Quinn, the Penguin appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Wayne Knight.
Films
- In Batman Returns, the Penguin appeared as the main antagonist in the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Danny DeVito.
- In The Batman vs. Dracula, the Penguin appeared in the setting of the animated film set in The Batman continuity where he was once again voiced by actor Tom Kenny.
- In Batman: Assault on Arkham, the Penguin appeared in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Nolan North.
- In Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Penguin appeared in the crossover animated film where he was voiced again by actor Tom Kenny.
- In The Batman, Oswald Cobblepot appeared in the setting of the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Colin Farrell. This version was shown as being the right-hand man of crime boss Carmine Falcone where he managed his club the Iceberg Lounge.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, the Penguin appeared in the setting of the MMORPG where he was voiced by actor David Jennison.
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Penguin had a cameo appearance in the background of the Arkham Asylum map in the fighting video game.
- In Batman: The Telltale Series, the Penguin appeared in the video game Season One where he was portrayed by actor Jason Spisak.
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (1941)
- Batman v1:
- Birds of Prey:
- Detective Comics v2:
- Penguin: Pain and Prejudice v1:
- Batman Eternal v1:
- Batman v2:
- Batman Who Laughs v2:
- Batman v3:
- Catwoman v5: (2020)
External Links
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